<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Unexpected Twist by Hellokaelyn</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22369204">Unexpected Twist</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/pseuds/Hellokaelyn'>Hellokaelyn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cheating, F/M, Implied/Referenced Sex, should I also tag that it happens in a church?.., small angst, though a little bit more than implied?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:22:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,635</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22369204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/pseuds/Hellokaelyn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick ran like he never ran before because this time it wasn't his life on the line. This time it was his heart.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unexpected Twist</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I was listening to the song The Tide by Niall Horan and at the chorus had this image of Nick running down a street to Ellie for some reason and..the rest of this was pulled out of thin air.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Feet pounding against the pavement, heart beating wildly in his chest, and the wind pushing against him—Nick ran. He ran like he'd never ran before. </p><p>People stared at him as he ran past, probably not used to seeing a man in a suit running down their fancy streets like his life depended on it. Nick was familiar with that, but this time his life wasn't on the line.</p><p>His heart was.</p><p>It was now or never. </p><p>Nick breathed steady like he'd practiced millions of times before when running, but then there were the words ringing in his head.</p><p>
  <em>"Don't be a wuss, tell her how you feel."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tell her how you feel, you wuss."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Don't make the same mistakes Tony and I have, Nicholas."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you're not smart about it..one day you'll look back and wonder what could have been, don't let that be your life."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tony and I are together now yes, but it was a longer and rougher journey than it had to be. We were so close to losing each other completely."</em>
</p><p>Ziva's words only made him push himself to run faster. </p><p>Nick didn't slow down even when the church came into view. Running inside, he ignored the looks of the few guests that arrived, <em>his</em> family, and her family. Instead he jogged to the door off to the side to a short spiral staircase leading to the rooms upstairs. </p><p>He finally stopped and took a breath when he reached the right door, nerves that he rarely felt creeping in making him hesitantly knock on the door. </p><p>Barbara Bishop didn't look shocked to see him at all, instead she smiled. Nick swallowed roughly, noting that the room behind her was empty—except for one person he knew was inside. </p><p>"She'll be out in a second." Barbara said softly, her smile turning comforting. "Thank you, Nick."</p><p>"W-What?"</p><p>She chuckled at his shocked and confused look, moving past him and out the door coming to stand beside him. "For stopping her from making a mistake." Nick gaped at her, only making her laugh more. "Just because we were supporting her choice, didn't mean we all agree with it."</p><p>With a squeeze of his arm, Barbara left for the stairs most likely to inform everyone—excluding <em>his</em> family—what was going on. </p><p>Nick breathed in and out deeply once before walking inside and shutting the door.</p><p>And as if on cue Ellie walked out of the bathroom in a silk robe, hair up in a fancy braid with strands falling in her face, and face full of make-up that did nothing but only enhance the natural beauty she already had.</p><p>"Nick!" She stepped back in shock, hand to her chest. "What are you-"</p><p>"Don't marry him." Nick said quickly before he chickened out and became a wuss once more.</p><p>Ellie's eyes widened and he took steps closer to her. "W-What?"</p><p>"Don't marry Ben." </p><p>
  <em>Please don't marry him. I know he makes you happy but please..please don't marry him.</em>
</p><p>"Nick.." Ellie said his name softly, her eyes beginning to mist over. </p><p>Nick kept walking until he stood in front of her. "<em>Please</em> Ellie." He knew his tone sounded desperate but he couldn't bring himself to care. "I know you don't really love him..you can't."</p><p>"And why's that?" She asked, sounding a little breathy as her eyes darted to his lips only inches from hers. </p><p>"Because I love you." In one quick move he yanked on the tie holding her robe closed making it fall open at the same moment he pulled her against him, a gasp falling from her lips right as she crashed into his body. "And I know you love <em>me</em> not <em>him</em>." Nick growled the last part out, not giving her time to respond before he put his hand on the back of her neck, his lips roughly taking hers. </p><p>Ellie whimpered against him, but instead of pushing him away like part of him expected her to—Ellie kissed him back just as roughly. Grabbing his tie, she moved backward leading him towards the adjourned room that was lined with couches. Her hands shoved his blazer off his shoulders, fingers moving to unbutton his shirt before it even hit the floor. In a rush to get off his pants, he fell back on the couch behind him and after a laugh bubbled out of her, Ellie wasted no time in straddling his lap, both of them moaning when she sank down onto him at an almost slow torturing pace.</p><p>Two hours before she was set to marry another man, Ellie Bishop had sex with Nick Torres only a hall away from her groom—effectively changing their lives forever. </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <em>Loud laughter filled Ellie's apartment as they came stumbling through the door. Thanks to Ellie's ability to not get drunk and Nick's promise to not drink, neither were drunk but instead were on a high of happiness.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Coming back from a long awaited wedding filled with family, friends, and love could have that effect. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I should uh- get going." Nick insisted when Ellie pulled on his arm to bring him further into her apartment. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I thought you were kidding about the just walking me to my place!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We both know it's not a good idea for me to stay Ellie." He narrowed his eyes, a heat in them that made her shiver. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>They had stuck by each other's side almost the whole night. Flirting, teasing touches, heated looks exchanged, and staying wrapped around each other on the dance floor. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nick..you're not leaving my apartment tonight."</em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <em>He knew it was a bad idea, he knew it. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>That was only proven the next morning. Their heated exchanges of love echoed in his head teasing him cruelly while she avoided his eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't know what I was thinking, I'm sorry." She whispered. "We can't risk screwing up our partnership at work and our friendship."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Little too late for that." Nick couldn't help but snap back, slipping his clothes back on quickly. He had to get out of there.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ellie flinched making him feel bad for only a second before he remembered she was the one rejecting this, then all he felt was that ache in his heart. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Bye Ellie." He mumbled, rushing out of her apartment. With the door closed behind him, he breathed in a shuddering breath. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her 'I love you' she whispered last night haunting him. </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <em>Three months later Nick was standing back as a smiling Ellie introduced everyone to Ben, a man that seemed to effortlessly slide right into the spot he once occupied. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nick knew the truth though. While Ben made her happy, that didn't change the fact that he caught her multiple times looking at him with that same heat and love in her eyes, or when she leaned in as if to kiss him but caught herself. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It only made him hurt more when Ellie surprised them all by announcing she was engaged to Ben only six months after they started dating. He barely remembered that night, having broke his promise by going out and getting so drunk the memories were a hazy blur. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her looks towards him didn't fade away even then, and Nick didn't know if he liked it still or if it only made him angry because no matter what she wasn't his. Ellie didn't have to tell him for him to figure it out. Ben was nothing more than her being in denial, he was a safe option after all she had been through with Jake and Qasim. He on the other hand was a risk with not only their work relationship and friendship, but the fact he was constantly putting his life on the line with the nature of their job. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>But she was happy—and so he didn't make a move.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Not until Ziva showed up at his apartment the morning of Ellie's wedding. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>You have to fight for love if they're worth it, and she was worth every fight he had left in him. </em>
</p><hr/><p><br/>No words were spoken yet as Nick buttoned up his shirt and Ellie slipped her robe back on, her perfectly done hair now half falling out of the braid.</p><p>It was all so familiar that a ball of panic started rising in his chest—thankfully subsided quickly when Ellie looked at him and smiled, a real smile that he hadn't seen since their first night together.</p><p>"Nick?" Ellie grabbed his hands in hers. "I do love you, you know. I tried so hard to convince myself I loved Ben—but that's impossible when you've had my heart for a while now." </p><p>"Yeah?" Nick's grin turned into a small smirk. "For a while now?"</p><p>She narrowed her eyes but nodded. "Nick..what plan is forming in your head?"</p><p>"Well I mean—everyone we love is already here.."</p><p>Ellie's jaw dropped, not taking her long to figure out what he meant. "You're not suggesting..Nick that's crazy!"</p><p>"Crazy yeah, but you can't tell me it doesn't feel right." </p><p>"It's <em>completely</em> crazy! But-" A grin formed on her lips that he returned. "-if life has taught me anything, it's that it's short and you never know what could happen."</p><p>"So that's a yes?" </p><p>"Yes! Let's do this!" </p><p>Nick cupped her face and kissed her.</p><hr/><p><br/>Only the bride's friends and family were left, and were in for a shock—an hour ago they were told there wouldn't be a wedding, but then Ellie came walking in wearing her wedding dress with her arm hooked through Nick's. Both with a plan in mind that shocked them all again. </p><p>Ellie Bishop did get married that day—but not to Ben Sanderson. On that day, there was an unexpected twist for it was Nick Torres she was kissing as cheers surrounded them. </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>